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How processed is your food? A new database from MGB can help you find out
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Did you enjoy the vibrant sunsets over Boston this past week? Here’s the reason why the sky is so colorful around this time of year.
Now, let’s get to the news:
A new tool for your pantry: How processed is the food we eat? A new database created by researchers at Mass General Brigham aims to help you answer that question. The “True Food” database launched today with the nutritional value and prices of more than 50,000 foods available at Target, Whole Foods and Walmart — the three leading grocery stores in the U.S. They’re then ranked by “processing scores.” Here’s how it works and how it can inform your shopping.
- The methodology: Giulia Menichetti, a statistical and computational physicist who authored the study, told WBUR’s Amy Sokolow that researchers looked at industry-manufactured foods “with quite long ingredient lists,” including those made with cheap agricultural commodity products like additives, emulsifiers and sugar alternatives. Researchers then used AI to gauge each item’s “processing score” — the higher the score, the more processed it is.
- The big takeaway: Researchers found Whole Foods offers more minimally processed options, but overall, most of the food sold at all three stores is ultra-processed.
- Zoom in: Let’s look at frozen pizza. Some of the most processed options are brands you’d expect, with scores in the eighties. But what ranked lower surprised me. Targets’s Good & Gather Thin Crust Mushroom & Truffle Oil pizza — the lowest processed option — came in at 2, compared to pies like Whole Food’s 365 Four Cheese Rising Crust Pizza (23) and Totino’s Triple Cheese Party Pizza (13).
- Why it matters: Americans get most of their calories from ultra-processed foods. But consuming these items can have a big impact on our health. “ Ultra processed food are connected to cardiovascular disease risk, obesity, cancer and all the major chronic diseases,” said Menichetti. You can search the scores of items in your kitchen in the database here.
‘Tis the (flu) season: Stuffy nose. Coughing. Fever. Yes, according to the Department of Public Health, instances of flu are on the rise. The DPH reports last week, 22% of people admitted to hospitals in the state were suffering with some kind of acute respiratory disease and the estimated flu-like activity in Greater Boston is “very high.” That’s pretty typical for the season, says Mass General Brigham infectious disease specialist Dr. Erica Shenoy, adding the upward trend started a bit later this year. “Like in past seasons, we tend to peak around February or March,” Shenoy told WBUR’s Martha Bebinger. So, keep washing those hands!
News from the GOP: Amy Carnevale will continue to head up Massachusetts’ Republican Party. In a vote this Saturday, the state GOP reelected Carnevale for a second term as chair with 44 votes, compared to 27 for challenger Jimmy Davidson. Carnevale says she’s looking ahead to the 2026 elections and aims to restore a two-party system in the state.
ICYMI: The New England Patriots announced Sunday that former linebacker Mike Vrabel, who played for the Pats for eight seasons, is the team’s new head coach. The announcement comes a week after Pats owner Robert Kraft fired head coach Jerod Mayo after just one season. Vrabel, 49, arrives hot off a head coaching gig with the Tennessee Titans. (From 2018 to 2023, his overall record there was 56-48.)
- Former Patriots linebacker Matt Chatham told Morning Edition he thinks Vrabel’s “hyper-competitiveness” could help restore the team’s winning culture: “It might be playing pool or something as much as playing football. You find an activity, Mike’s going to be deep into it.” Chatham described Vrabel as “a bit like [Tom] Brady in that regard.”
Trying Dry January? The annual month of sobriety is more popular than ever across the country, with research group Civic Science reporting approximately 25% of Americans over 21 took on the challenge last year. Dr. Miriam Komaramy, a physician and addiction specialist at Boston University, shares some of the benefits of “drying out.”
- Komaramy says a monthlong break from alcohol can result in less heartburn and reflux, better sleep, reduced liver inflammation and even weight loss. To keep your streak, Komaramy suggests keeping a journal and jotting down how you feel without alcohol (there are also apps that can help you stay on track). If dealing with social pressure, here are ways to tell people you’re not drinking.
P.S.— You shared your favorite hot chocolate spots. Now it’s time we give you ours. Click here to see where our newsroom staff likes to go to grab a cup of cocoa in Boston and beyond.
Correction: In a previous version, the brand Good & Gather was attributed to Walmart instead of Target. We regret the error.
